Musharraf Defends Actions After Taking Oath

CARLOTTA GALL

Friday

Nov 30, 2007 at 5:24 AM

Pervez Musharraf was sworn in as a civilian president Thursday, a day after giving up his post as army chief.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 29 — President Pervez Musharraf was sworn in to a second five-year presidential term today, a day after stepping down as military chief. He warned foreign diplomats assembled for the ceremony not to force democracy and human rights on developing countries, but to let them evolve in their own time.

Dressed in a traditional black tunic favored by civilian leaders, a somber Mr. Musharraf took an oath before a gathering of Pakistani dignitaries and diplomats. He resigned his post as military chief Wednesday, after eight years of military rule, under heavy pressure at home and abroad. He repeated his regrets to be leaving the army after 46 years.

In a speech after taking the oath, he defended his record in power, saying that he had always intended to lead the country toward democracy and to remove his uniform, but had to act in the interests of Pakistan’s stability. He said he had to impose emergency rule on Nov. 3 and delay removing his uniform because of a clash between state institutions, namely the judiciary and the government, and the growing threat of terrorism.

“There is an unrealistic or even impractical obsession with your form of democracy, human rights and civil liberties, which you have taken centuries to acquire and which you expect us to adopt in a few years, in a few months,” he said, addressing the diplomats.

“We want democracy; I am for democracy. We want human rights, we want civil liberties, but we will do it our way, as we understand our society, our environment, better than anyone in the West,” he said.

Mr. Musharraf’s election to another presidential term, and his swearing in, remain controversial. In his oath he vowed “to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution” of Pakistan, even though he suspended the Constitution three weeks ago when he imposed emergency rule and introduced a provisional constitutional order as military chief. The emergency remains in place, and before resigning from his military post he transferred the powers to rescind the emergency to the presidency.

The presidential oath was administered by the current Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, who was appointed after Mr. Musharraf imposed the emergency and suspended the previous Supreme Court. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and a number of other Supreme Court judges remain under house arrest, as do four senior advocates who work at the Supreme Court.

The advocates were challenging Mr. Musharraf’s eligibility to run for another presidential term and the Supreme Court was about to rule on his eligibility when Mr. Musharraf imposed the emergency.

In his speech today, Mr. Musharraf welcomed the return from exile of the opposition leaders Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, saying their return was "good" for political reconciliation in the country, The Associated Press reported. The two leaders, both former prime ministers, returned from exile abroad in recent weeks to lead their parties in parliamentary elections scheduled for January, and both have called for Mr. Musharraf to give up his military role and lift the state of emergency.

But Mr. Musharraf said he only hoped they would “move forward toward a conciliatory, civilized, democratic and political environment in the future."

Neither Ms. Bhutto nor Mr. Sharif were present at today’s ceremony in the state palace in Islamabad, The A.P reported.

In the eastern city of Lahore, at least 250 lawyers led protests against Mr. Musharraf’s swearing-in, clashing with police in violence that left several of the police and lawyers injured, Reuters reported.

Chanting "Go, Musharraf, Go!", the lawyers, in black suits and white shirts, attempted to push their way past riot police who fought them back with batons outside the Lahore law courts, Reuters reported.

"We are not scared,” said one lawyer, Malik Mohammad Arshad, whose eye was swollen and head was bleeding after a brick hit him on the head, Reuters reported. “We don’t accept Musharraf even without his uniform. He has to go."

Eleven lawyers and three policemen were injured in the clashes, and three lawyers were arrested, officials said, according to the news agency.

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